Eastern North Dakota 

Brian McNamee

Wow what a difference a week and 2.5 to 3 inches of rain makes. Phone calls went from customers calling asking about mycotoxins, poisonous nitrates and whether to bale or cut for silage to asking if they should now spend the extra money to push yield with all the lost fertility. Made the job way more enjoyable! I am amazed how much better these new corn hybrids and soybean varieties take adverse conditions.

Southeast North Dakota

Gary Geske

This photo was taken yesterday of our experimental conventional silage hybrid. It’s 11 feet tall and green.

Northeast South Dakota 

James Keltgen

Leaves are puckering from lack of moisture in this Enlist demonstration plot. Most of the corn in my territory is done pollinating and is in the milk stage. Soybeans rea beginning to fill pods with little to no insect pressure so far. Some rain has fallen in drought-stricken areas, however, the damage has already been done to crops.

Southeast South Dakota

Ramie Coughlin

This week has been quiet in Southeast South Dakota. Recent rains and cooler temperatures have allowed the crops to do what they do best, produce. Some of those rains came very timely for many acres where others it was a bit to late already. This next week I look forward to visiting with many of you at Dakota Fest in Mitchell and learning about how your acres are looking.

Northern Minnesota

Ken Highness

Latham’s corn and soybean research plots help us evaluate products to bring into the product lineup. Latham Seed Product Manager Mark Grundmeier and Gary Geske, our Northern Product Specialist, are pictured here evaluating potential products on August 8 in Grand Forks, ND.

Southern Minnesota

Brandon Wendlandt

The Latham regional plot in Minnesota is signed and ready to go! You’re welcome to join us in Mountain Lake on Tuesday August 22, at 5 PM.

Southern Wisconsin

Greg Mair

Herbicide-resistant weeds becoming a growing problem in Wisconsin, so farmers and custom applicators have begun switching up herbicide programs.  With the changes in herbicide programs, come changes in the sprayer tank cleaning procedure. A rinse or flush with water may have worked in the past for glyphosate, but it does not work for all herbicides. I’ve seen numerous soybean fields this year affected by improper tank cleaning when switching chemistry or fields, such as this one showing affects of ALS-inhibiting herbicide damage.

Northwest Iowa

Darin Chapman

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds provides leadership to Upper Midwest farmers when choosing the right products for their specific geographies.  We understand that precision agriculture plays a big part in helping us make these decisions.  This is why we are doing research with our multi-hybrid planter to really micro-manage product placement.

South Central Minnesota & North Central Iowa

Cory Greiman

Aerial view of our dealer’s super strip plot near Garner, IA.  It had some hail damage back on 7/10/17.

Southeast Minnesota & Northeast Iowa

Craig Haaland

Corn and soybean crops are looking really good throughout my territory. This picture of Latham’s 2358 Liberty soybeans was taken in Mitchell County.

The Mitchell County cornfield was planted corn-on-corn in late April to our popular LH 5509 SS RIB. Fungicide was applied to this field about 10 days ago, and it’s looking extremely good.

We could use a shot of rain this week, which is in the forecast. We also need to keep scouting fields to stay ahead of pest problems. At this point, I haven’t seen any aphids in soybean fields, but as we all know, they can move in quickly. Keep a watchful eye on them!

West North Central Iowa

Bart Peterson

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds has a strong lineup of IRONCLAD soybeans, which offer the toughest defensive package. These soybeans are selected for “defense,” but they still pack a yield punch. Click here to see why IRONCLAD is your best defense against Iron Deficiency Chlorosis (IDC).

If you’re looking for a soybean with outstanding IDC tolerance, then L 1882 R2 is the product for you! This photo was taken of a field located 3 miles west of Gilmore City Iowa on Highway 3. Some areas in this field have a pH ranging from 8.0 to 8.3, but there’s no yellowing. High PH causes iron to be unavailable to plants, leading to stunted growth.

Eastern Iowa

Jerry Broders

Keep scouting soybean fields for aphids and Sudden Death Syndrome. Keep an eye on corn for diseases that can rob yield. Gray Leaf Spot starting to appear in some Eastern Iowa corn fields. Crop stage and amount of infection make a difference when making the decision to apply fungicide.

Central Iowa

Bryan Rohe

Western Iowa & Eastern Nebraska 

Larry Krapfl

In spite of hot and dry weather there doesn’t appear to be any pollination issues!

Eastern North Dakota 

Brian McNamee

Test plots are starting to show well. Varieties are starting to stand out and separate themselves. Some of the newer products, especially 0263 R2x, look exciting.

Southeast North Dakota

Gary Geske

You can’t scroll through Facebook or Twitter or tune into the radio this summer without hearing talk about herbicide-damaged crops. The buzz has been so centered on dicamba that many people are quick to make assumptions.

In this photo, dicamba was blamed for the damage when it actually resulted from an HPPD-inhibiting herbicide like Balance or Callisto.

How can you tell the difference? Check out this injury summary from Penn State, and learn the four signs of dicamba drift from the Prairie Farmer.

Crop consultants and college diagnostic labs can aid in proper diagnosis. Correct diagnosis is needed, so the correct actions may be taken to correct the problem in the future. Correct diagnosis is also important for insurance purposes.

Northeast South Dakota 

James Keltgen

Milder temperatures prevailed this last week of July, which coincided with much of tasseling. Many farmers are still waiting on rain. Pastures and crops have been damaged due to lack of rain. Soybeans are beginning to fill pods as some are now waist high. August rains can make a soybean crop, so we’re hoping precipitation is on the way!

Southeast South Dakota

Ramie Coughlin

The last two weeks have brought some much needed rain to South Dakota. Rain fall amounts ranged from one to 11 inches. These two photos were taken only a few miles away and 6 days apart. Wheat harvest is well under way, and yield reports are variable. Some wheat is coming out with good yields, test weight, and protein; other fields got hit by the drought. I have a feeling we’re going to see variable yields across the board this crop year, depending on where and when fields got rain.

Northern Minnesota

Ken Highness

This is 160 acres of Latham’s LH 4242 VT PRO planted April 18 in Clay County near Moorhead, Minnesota. This field is currently in the R2 stage (blister stage) where the kernels are white on the outside, with clear liquid inside. This is a great looking field of corn, but we could use rain to finish out strong at harvest!

Southern Minnesota

Brandon Wendlandt

We’re having a great time at FarmFest! Be sure to stop by Latham Seeds’ booth (#4106) on Wednesday and Thursday to see the exciting new products we’re offering for 2018.

 

Southern Wisconsin

Greg Mair

In Wisconsin, we have been spared the waterhemp resistance issues up until now.  Waterhemp is showing up in full force including the northwest, southwest, and northeast corners of the state.

Latham® Seeds Rep Clinton Buss discusses weed escapes with a customer in Southwest Wisconsin.  Ignoring weed resistance issue will only create more resistant weeds.  Now is the time to evaluate your herbicide program and plan ahead for next season.  Keep in mind that Latham’s product lineup includes options such as LibertyLink and Xtend Soybeans.  Contact a Latham® Seeds rep to discuss the best option for your fields in 2018.

Northwest Iowa

Darin Chapman

These future Latham® Seed reps are excited to try flying the drone over their family farm! We took good look at our Northwest Iowa Regional Plot.

South Central Minnesota & North Central Iowa

Cory Greiman

These photos remind us of the importance of properly rinsing sprayer lines and tanks.

Southeast Minnesota & Northeast Iowa

Craig Haaland

August is a key time for soybean fields to receive moisture. Soybeans in southern Minnesota are really taking off and growing rapidly now. It’s important to keep scouting as aphid populations are growing.

Managing your corn and soybean fields is critical now. Planes, helicopters and ground sprayers have been really busy this past week putting on fungicide.

West North Central Iowa

Bart Peterson

This field of LH 5939 SS was planted April 12 near Humboldt, in a corn-on-corn situation at 33,000 plants per acre. This field had some pollination issues due to very little rain in the last month in a half. Corn ears don’t look too bad, considering the lack of rain during grain fill.

Eastern Iowa

Jerry Broders

Japanese beetles have been a problem in Eastern Iowa this summer, and some farmers are spraying for them now.  The economic threshold is 20% defoliation a reproductive growth stage in soybeans and 30% for pre-bloom soybeans. Also check your corn for silk clipping by the Japanese beetles.

Central Iowa

Bryan Rohe

Japanese Beatles are showing up in fields near Madrid, Iowa. It’s important to scout fields and note defoliation as treatment might be warranted. Also look in corn fields for leaf clipping.
Lack of moisture has been a problem for many fields across my territory this season, and we’re seeing signs of heat stress. For example, this field of corn near Cambridge is showing little tip back.

Western Iowa & Eastern Nebraska

Larry Krapfl

Just as Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey states last week, much of the state is very dry. Farmers are hoping for a good soaking rain as we enter August, which is a critical time for soybeans. Pastures also are in desperate need of rain, and livestock producers hope much needed moisture will fall soon.

 

Southeast North Dakota

Gary Geske

Does anyone know what this is? I haven’t seen one of these for over 2 months! We finally got ¾” rain overnight without a lot of hail and this was the only puddle.

Northeast South Dakota

James Keltgen

Scattered rain fell again in Northeast South Dakota, leaving from a trace to 2 inches. It wasn’t widespread but some was in areas that needed it. Corn is beginning to tassel and soybeans are gaining height and flowers

Southeast South Dakota

Ramie Coughlin

Latham® Dealers Matt and Taylor Sinkie took a balloon ride over their South Dakota farm this past week.

Northern Minnesota

Ken Highness

This is Latham’s SuperStrip plot in Morris, Minnesota. What a great looking plot by a new dealer here.

Southern Minnesota

Brandon Wendlandt

Unsatisfied with you weed control in soybeans? Well maybe it’s time to try a different trait! Contact me to find out more details on our Roundup Ready 2, Roundup Ready Xtend and Liberty lineup!

Southern Wisconsin

Greg Mair

Today was a good day to take crop report pictures!

The Latham Corn SuperStrip in Ripon, Wisconsin, is nearing the VT stage. Latham’s new 99-day SmartStax LH 4919 SS is showing off its excellent roots and stalks in this plot.

Meanwhile, across town in Ripon, the L 2482 R2 Soybeans are flowering and look excellent.  Timely rains in this area, while missing most of the heavy rains, have the area farmers hoping for another bin-busting crop in 2017.

Northwest Iowa

Darin Chapman

Maximum corn water usage occurs during tasseling, and we could use some rain in Northwest Iowa. Growers will be starting to think about fungicide application. I have heard a 20 bushel advantage the last couple of growing seasons!

South Central Minnesota & North Central Iowa

Cory Greiman

This field of LH 5505 VT2 PRO in Mitchell County Iowa, and many other local fields, are starting to tassel. Corn fields have really taken off the past 7-10 days. A few fields are being sprayed with fungicide. Soybean fields are starting to fill there rows.

We actually could use a little moisture since we’ve been getting these hot and humid days.

West North Central Iowa

Bart Peterson

Yesterday I put up field signs with Latham® dealer EJ Wolter from West Bend, Iowa. His plot looks very nice.

Eastern Iowa

Jerry Broders

One advantage of working with Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds is access to seed options. You can see in this one plot that our dealer is showcasing Latham®  soybean with these traits and technologies: Balance GT, Roundup Ready 2 and Roundup Ready Xtend. We also have seed treatment options including SoyShield, SoyShield Plus, SoyShield Plus + Ilevo treated soybeans and Nemastrike.

Western Iowa & Eastern Nebraska

Larry Krapfl

Fields of Latham 5405 and 5509 are looking pretty good by Castana, Iowa.

 

Eastern North Dakota 

Brain McNamee

We have had a very troubling spring with the dry planting conditions, hail, and all the replants and now the widespread drought in North Dakota.  There is a lot to feel down about, so let’s just focus on the end result and the not-so-distant past with terrific results. Here are a couple of my favorites pics from last fall.

Southeast North Dakota

Gary Geske

We had a slim chance of rain Tuesday evening, but unfortunately it went around us. It would sure be nice to pick up an inch or two before this week of extremely high temps. Corn is already under significant stress.

Northeast South Dakota

James Keltgen

Hotter weather has moved in to our region, which is both a blessing and a curse. Crops are behind normal pace and need heat units, but many areas are extremely dry and need moisture. Damage already has been done to small grains and will likely incur to row crops this week if the needed rain doesn’t fall.

Southeast South Dakota

Ramie Coughlin

Corn was well past knee-high this Fourth of July. While much of South Dakota is in a slight to moderate drought, there are still some areas in the southeast where moisture is not yet a limiting factor. The last couple weeks of June helped catch us up on GDUs. Although we’re just a little behind last year’s GDUs, we’re ahead of the 10-year average.

Northern Minnesota

Ken Highness

Twisted whorl, also called buggy whipped corn, is evident in the northern part of my sales region. I took these photos July 3 near Beltrami, Minnesota.

Although this syndrome is not fully understood by scientists, there is a correlation between its presence and weather patterns. Twisted whorl is often present when there has been a sharp transition from periods of slow corn to periods of rapid corn development, or from cool and cloudy weather to warm and sunny weather plus ample moisture.

Southern Minnesota

Brandon Wendlandt

In last week’s crop report, I mentioned that I’d be eager to see the results after spraying Xtendimax on Latham brand soybeans L 2184 R2X. This picture was take three days after application. The giant ragweed is taking more time, but the waterhemp has keeled over!

Southern Wisconsin

Greg Mair

We have had excessive moisture in Wisconsin since planting began, causing many areas of fields to be drowned out or never planted.  Due to the wet spring, these Latham Seed-2-Soil Technology and Soybean SuperStrip plots were not planted until June 1 along Highway 73 near Cambridge.  With this week’s projected forecast calling for high temps, we should see significant growth in the coming days.

Now that spraying has been completed, it is a great time to scout your fields.  Identifying pests and determining a course of action now can potentially increase profits at harvest.

Northwest Iowa

Darin Chapman

It was a great looking day at BA Farms! Hope you all enjoyed the holiday!

South Central Minnesota & North Central Iowa

Cory Greiman

Infection and disease is more likely after crops are damaged. To help protect their injured crop, farmers often apply herbicide after a hail event. Some foliar diseases, however, do not require wounds for infection. Foliar diseases favor rainy and/or humid weather like we’ve been experiencing here in North Iowa.

Southeast Minnesota & Northeast Iowa

Craig Haaland

This plot conventional hybrids from of Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds is planted May 9 west of Chatfield, Minnesota. Corn around this area is really starting to take off thanks to the warm temps and rainfall we’ve been getting. Remember, it’s important to keep walking your fields to stay ahead of disease and pest pressure.

West North Central Iowa

Bart Peterson

Potassium (Potash) deficiency appears as a firing or drying along the tips and edges of leaves.

Eastern Iowa

Jerry Broders

The picture below shows some of the damage from a tornado near Prarieburg.

Central Iowa

Bryan Rohe

 

Western Iowa & Eastern Nebraska

Larry Krapfl